Weather-related rail service delays could cost Crystal Sugar millions

American Crystal Sugar says it's been forced to cut back on production due to a slowdown in rail service caused by harsh winter weather – something that could cost the company millions of dollars if circumstances don't change, KVVR reports.

Output from the cooperative's plants in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, and Hillsboro and Drayton, North Dakota, have been hampered by the wave of blizzards and subzero temperatures in the region, The Associated Press says.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) spokeswoman Amy McBeth said Wednesday that the railway company is putting a priority on serving Crystal Sugar "through proactive measures that will help in light of the difficult current conditions."

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Crystal Sugar President and CEO David Berg currently characterizes the situation as a "minor slowdown" at this point, but massive losses and waste are possible if the company doesn't get back on schedule.

North Dakota Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp have also weighed in on the slowdown, and have reached out to BNSF officials to help resolve the issue.

The weather-related slowdown marks another huge setback for BNSF.

In December, a westbound BNSF train carrying soybeans derailed about a half-mile west of Casselton, North Dakota, slamming into an eastbound 109-car BNSF train carrying crude oil, resulting in a fiery explosion.

American Crystal Sugar Co.’s locked-out workers will hold rallies in front of grocery stores in Fargo and in Grand Forks on Monday as they launch a national consumer boycott of the company’s products, the Fargo Forum reports. It's the latest development in the long-running labor dispute that dates to August 2011, when about 1,300 union workers at the company’s plants in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa were locked out by management.

Union members are demonstrating at the homes of American Crystal Sugar's directors as the labor dispute drags on. An AFL-CIO spokesman tells the Fargo Forum the demonstrations will continue indefinitely. Roughly 1,300 workers have been locked out from plants in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa for more than a year.

Locked-out union workers from American Crystal Sugar will try once more to resolve its differences with company owners when it votes on a contract proposal Saturday. The workers, locked out of plants in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa for nearly a year, have overwhelmingly rejected two previous contract offers.

Locked-out American Crystal Sugar workers in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa are soon going to vote on a company offer for the third time in less than a year. The vote, set for June 23, comes after failed talks last week between the company and the workers' union. American Crystal Sugar said this is their final offer.

A few locked out workers from American Crystal Sugar were back on the picket line Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the union lockout by company. More than 1,300 workers from plants in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa have been affected by the lockout.